The article, published by The Press, lists ten art exhibitions opening in June, providing a curated guide for art enthusiasts. Each exhibition is briefly described, highlighting the artists, venues, and key themes or works on display, covering a range of contemporary and historical art across various galleries and museums.
The Press reports that the late New Zealand artist Philip Trusttum is being honored posthumously with an exhibition that shares space with artists he mentored. The show brings together Trusttum's own works alongside pieces by emerging and mid-career artists who benefited from his guidance, creating a dialogue between his legacy and the next generation of creators he influenced.
A major exhibition of works by pioneering New Zealand modernist painter Edith Collier has opened at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, marking the first time in 45 years that Christchurch audiences can see a wide range of her work. The show, titled 'Edith Collier: Early New Zealand Modernist,' features over 60 pieces including studies, sketches, watercolours, prints, and archival material, drawn from the permanent collection of Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui. Collier, born in 1885, developed a bold post-impressionist style during a nine-year stay in London alongside artist Frances Hodgkins, but faced harsh criticism upon returning to conservative New Zealand, leading her father to destroy some of her paintings.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute will launch a new fashion exhibition titled "Costume Art" at the 2026 Met Gala, curated by Andrew Bolton. The show features 400 items across sections exploring body types historically marginalized in art, including the corpulent, disabled, pregnant, and aging body. It debuts in the newly renovated Conde M. Nast galleries on the museum's main floor, with custom mannequins modeled on real individuals such as Sinéad Burke, Aariana Rose Philip, and Goddess Bunny. The exhibition pairs fashion garments with art objects to argue that fashion is art, and will be open to the public from May 10 for eight months.
Warren Feeney's article highlights 10 exhibitions opening in May 2026, primarily in Christchurch, New Zealand. Featured shows include Stone Maka's 'MONO' at Jonathan Smart Gallery, exploring Tongan tapa cloth traditions; Jess Nicholson's 'Ka maumahara te uku (the clay remembers)' at CoCA Toi Moroki, focusing on Ngāi Tahu culture and land connections; and a group exhibition 'Indigo' at Art on the Quay, featuring seven Central Otago artists. Other notable shows include Jane Barry, Sandra Hussey, and Laurie Roodt's 'Three Exhibitions' at Chambers Art Gallery, and Stephanie Postles' 'What These Walls Remember' at City Art Depot's new Up Stairs space.
A new exhibition, "Monet and Venice," has opened at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. It centers on the pivotal 1908 trip to Venice that the 68-year-old Claude Monet was initially reluctant to take, showcasing over 20 of the luminous, atmospheric paintings of the city he produced there. The show also includes over 100 related items, featuring works by Canaletto, Turner, Sargent, and Whistler, as well as photographs and books, to contextualize Monet's Venetian achievement.
Felix Anderson-Goldsmith, a 17-year-old pencil artist from Timaru, New Zealand, is preparing for his first solo exhibition at the Red Bird Gallery in Timaru. The exhibition opens on January 9, 2026, and runs until February 3, featuring ten works including pencil realism pieces and two pop art paintings on skateboards. Anderson-Goldsmith previously gained recognition as a shortlisted entrant in the 2024 Parkin Drawing Prize, where he received a highly commended award. Gallery owner Polly Rowe offered him the show after being impressed by his sketches, and has guided him in developing a cohesive body of work.
Al Park, a longtime music impresario in Lyttelton and Christchurch, shares his personal cultural highlights of 2025 in an end-of-year feature for The Press. His picks span books, films, music, poetry, and visual art, including the exhibition "Whāia te Taniwha" at Christchurch Art Gallery, which features works like Piri Cowie's bronze sculpture "Te Wheke – Aro Hā Series 2024." Park also looks ahead to 2026, noting his weekly event 'Al P and his P.A.Ls' and the upcoming "The Art of Banksy" exhibition at Christchurch Convention Centre Te Pae.
The Nelson Suter Art Society's summer exhibition has opened at the McKee Gallery within the Suter Art Gallery in Nelson, New Zealand. The show, titled "Love it, Buy it, Take it," features small works by the society's 150 members, including paintings, pottery, woodwork, gourds, and glass. Newest member Vanessa Griffin exhibited alongside artists with up to 50 years of membership. The exhibition runs until February 1.
Timaru artist Kerry Irvine opened a new exhibition at the York Street Gallery on Friday, October 3, 2025. The Timaru Herald chief photographer John Bisset attended the opening and captured images of attendees, including gallery owner Debbie Templeton-Page and her husband Tony Page, as well as local figures such as Tracey Hutchison, Jill Hinde, Sandra Kelly, and Joan Tonks.
Ceramicist Lou Billinghurst opened her first solo exhibition at Timaru’s York Street Gallery of Fine Arts on Friday. The show features a range of ceramic works including wall art and three totem poles, which Billinghurst describes as bringing out whimsical elements and offering light relief from the world. She rekindled her pottery practice about 10 years ago after moving to Timaru to care for her late mother, and has since taught hand-building with the South Canterbury Pottery Group.